Rack and Pinion Conversion for P30?

[eXodus]

I'm in the old Truck scene and recently tons of people started to convert their old Trucks to Rack and Pinion.

Ideas of getting one going for the P30 RVs?  It's only a Chevy Truck underneath.

Getting the steering column down to the rack could be a bit tricky but otherwise?  Ideas concerns? 

[Oz]

Appears you'll be breaking new ground here.

[eXodus]

Appears you'll be breaking new ground here.

I mean the platform was designed like 40+ years ago. Rack and Pinion wasn't as popular and powerful as they are today.



Just look at the amount of parts a P30 steering has.  It's just a mind boggling complicated system.
I know why they did it - the steering column is in front of the front wheel and you sit right above the wheel.

So you the force hast to be transmitted back towards the input shaft or the rack an pinion.
Mounting the rack in front of the subframe - there is actually plenty of space.  Fabricating two brackets and then mixing and matching the GM parts bin to find Tierods. which fit the length should be doable. The Chevy Express Rack and Pinion looks promising nice and wide enough - uses the same hydroboost and pumps as our P30.



The Express Cutaway are rated up to 19.000lbs GVWR so should be plenty of strong at least for smaller RVs

Getting from the steering column to the Rack will be difficult.   The Hydroboost unit is in the way of straight shot down from the column to a potential rack position.
So instead of using a 2 part steering shaft - we have to look into a 3 piece with some supports at the Hydro boost bracket.

[Oz]

A lot of adaptation.  Must be able to be done though!

[eXodus]

A lot of adaptation.  Must be able to be done though!

My steering is OK at the moment,  but I'm thinking ahead, when it's not.

And then replacing increasingly hard to get parts with the same inferior product?  Yes you can get some SuperSteer parts. But they are expensive
Why not solve the issue altogether with a better design? And new Rack and Pinion is like $500 and from the junkyard you get it for $50-100

Only bell cranks of the p30 already cost more  $600 for the SuperSteers+ 50 more parts which can fail.



This would be the mounting position - right behind the swaybar in front engine cradle brace of the frame.


I was just looking around -you could also get the Electric PowerSteering from the 2014 and later Silverados.  So we could exclude the Steering from the Hydroboost Pump.  So only the brakes are running of the pump and the steering is free from brake inputs vice versa. 

[Oz]

Sounds like a very viable, and better, and pretty cheap alternative!!

[eXodus]

I've put the idea on my long-term todo list.

Need to address some more pressing needs first.  All new fluids in this weekend. Hopefully.

[Oz]

Hopefully it won't be too long.  It's a very interesting project!

[John]

So with this talk of how complicated the steering is for a P30 chassis, (I have an '89 Chieftain with a P30 chassis) has there been a documented failure of the steering on a P30 chassis that resulted in loss of steering?
John

[Oz]

None documented here that I know of.

[eXodus]

So with this talk of how complicated the steering is for a P30 chassis, (I have an '89 Chieftain with a P30 chassis) has there been a documented failure of the steering on a P30 chassis that resulted in loss of steering?
John

define steering failure  Hm?  I got stranded with a busted powersteering line.  It's almost impossible to steer without assist.
Rack and Pinion is much easier to drive without assist.

When you look through the boards - people are constantly replacing steering parts - bell cranks, tie rods, drag links.  All those greaseable things you got underneath there.

With a rack you would eliminate all those points and reduce them to two grease points - the tie rods at the wheel.

Just for comparison - I got work experience with a Chevy Pickup with exactly the same setup like our RVs and a Dodge Pickup with Rack and Pinion.  Both well over 200.000 miles, around 20 years old.
The Chevy needed already a bunch of parts steering parts and the steering always feels vague. While the Rack setup under the Dodge only needed outer tie rods - on one side.  While that one drives direct like a car.